CAUSATIVE CONSTRUCTIONS IN TAIWANESE

Abstract

Defining the causative construction as a construction that conveys the meaning 'an event causes another event', this paper describes various syntactic constructions that answer the semantic definition. Two major types of causative constructions, intentional and unintentional, are distinguished. The semantic content of all intentional causative constructions is analyzed as Agent ((Event_1) hō· Event_2) or 'Agent ((Event_1) causes Event_2)', while that of the unintentional ones is analyzed as Event1 (hō· Event_2), or 'Event_1 (causes Event_2)'. Though relics of once-productive constructions are abundant in the language, one-verb causative constructions are found to be no longer productive. The two-verb causative constructions are divided into three types: those that cannot take conjunction hō 'in order that', those that take it obligatorily, and those that take it optionally. The etymon hō is also used as a verb and the dative case marker. Constructions using hō in such functions are also regarded as causative constructions since their meanings fit our semantic definition of the intentional causative construction.

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